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Circulatory problems in the winter
I am 33 and suffer badly from circulatory problems. Last winter, my hands were constantly going numb, especially after driving. My father has the same problem and suffers from pains in his leg. I walk to work and exercise several times a week and so keep myself active but I’m dreading the winter months again.
Researchers at the Ninewells Hospital & Medical School in Dundee have just finished a study on the role of the Chinese herb, Ginkgo biloba, in treating Raynaud’s disease, which is the name of the condition you are suffering from. It is nine times more common in women than men and there are now an estimated 10 million sufferers in the UK. It is caused when the tiny blood vessels in the fingers and toes constrict when the temperature drops. Unfortunately, the conventional drugs that are used to dilate them again cannot be targeted at only those vessels affected and so can also cause headaches and nausea by dilating blood vessels in the brain and stomach too.
The results of this new study will not be published until September but the trials were themselves prompted in the first place by excellent anecdotal evidence from members of the Raynaud’s & Scleroderma Association who were testing a product called Seredrin made by Health Perception, the supplement company started by former Olympic swimming champion David Wilkie.
In this formulation, 120mg of a standardised extract of Ginkgo biloba phytosome is provided to relieve the symptoms you complain of. The phytosome process is a way of blending the ingredients, which is said to make the active constituent 30% more potent - and Seredrin is already the best-selling Ginkgo supplement in the UK.
*Seredrin costs £9.99 for a box of 30 tablets, available from Health Perception (01252 861454). Contact the Raynaud’s & Scleroderma Association at www.raynauds.org.uk or on 01270-883556.